Ice and refrigeration machine.



-NO- 830,466. PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906. B. THOENS. ICE AND REFRIGERATIONMACHINE.'

APPLIGATIDN FILED PBB.16, 1904. RBNBWED Nov. 7, 1904.

Q. ,m NNN.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

BURCHARD THOE'NS, OF NXNV YORK, N. Y.

ICE AND REFRIGERATION MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1906.

Application led February 16, 1904. Renewed November '7, 1904. Serial No.231.803.

'the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvementin ice and refrigeration machines.

The objects of my invention are to provide an ice or refrigerationmachine of limited capacity suitable for use in houses, groceries,butcher-shops,- markets, &c., especially Jfor -localities where icecannot be obtained regularly or in small villages which cannot supportan ice plant. With these objects in view my apparatus is so constructedthat it may be safely placed in charge of inexperienced persons,requiring no skill or judgment for its operation. Its 'operationrcquires no opening or closing of valves at certain times, as isrequired in many similar devices. It needs no continuous water-supplyfor cooling purposes. It will not get out of order, inasmuch as allcomplicated Amechanism has been eliminated.` It occupies but littlespace, and the parts can be placed in any position relatively to eachother. lt may, tor instance, be mounted on wheels to be used in war timein connection with tieldhospitals.

My device is of theintermittent-working yammonia-absorption type, inwhich the following steps occur in succession: separating theammonia-gas from a solution containing it by lneans of heat in agenerator;

liquefying the separated ammonia-gas by iressure and cold in acondenser; Vaporizmg or expanding theliquefied ammonia by reducing ltspressure m a refrigerator, thereby producing refrigeration; rcabsorbingthe vaporized or expanded ammonia-gas again in the same water from whichit was expelled by heat in the generator, which then acts as anabsorber. v

With these objects in view my invention consists in the constructionandcombinations of parts as hereinafter described and claimed. I

In the accompanyingr drawings, Figure 1 isa longitudinal section of myimproved device; and Fig. 2 is a eros section of the gcnerator absorberthrough thc lower part thereof, although a cross-section ol thc'upperpart would be exactly thc same in shape. only smaller.

ay represents thel generator, which consists of a lower shell l and anupper smaller shell 2. Both shells are provided on the inside withannular ribs 3 and on the' outside with longitudinal ribs 4, four ot'which ribs are elongated, forming legs 5.. These ribs, both insideandoutside, are lor the purpose ol' rapidly oonductingheat into and outol the generator, which is made of metal. lVhile l have shownlongitudinal rihs'on the outside and annular ribs on-thc inside, l donot restrict myself to this particular form, as both annular andlongitudinal ribs might bc used both on the inside and outside ot thegenerator, or the arrangement shown might bc reversed.

The generator instead .of .being provided with ribs may of course beprovided with corrugations, which cll'ect the saine purpose.

'A casing 6 surrounds 4the lower shell l and reaches up nearly to ahorizontal ring 7, which is a part ol" the shell l, 'leaving adischarge-space between the ring 7 and the upper edge of 'the casing (i.This casing forms with the longitudinal ribs 4' vert 'al air-flueslaround the shell V1.

The upper shell is surrounded bv a wa- Vter-jacket 9 and is similar inshape'to the lower shell, except that it is smaller. The shells aresecured together in any suitable way, and a packing, il desired, may beused between them. The. water-jacket 9 is supported on a ledge S, whichforms a part of the upper shell 2. The shells l and 2 are separated fromeach other by the separator ll), which consistsof a circular annulartrough 1 l, which supports a bell 12, having a central discharge-pipe13. A bell 14 larger than the bell 12 is also supported on the trough ll and is provided with a number of discharge-pipes 15. The upper endol14 the pipe 13 is below the lower ends of' the pipes l 5, compellingthe gas to make a turn and flow downward and then upward as it )assesl'rom the shell l into the shell '2. The bells 12 and 14 rest on ribs onthe bottom `of the trough 1l, leaving a s )ace betweenl the bottom ofsaid trough and the lower rims of said bells.

From the to) of the shell 2 leads a discharge-pipe 31 ior theammonia-gas which is provided with a cheek-valve 16 and an airescapevalve 17. A pipe 1S enters the lower ICO IIO

- reaches down to a thereof.

shell 1 near the central portion thereof and point near the bottomSurrounding this pipe are a number of perforated conical plates 19.

Below the generator a is provided a suitable heater or lamp 20,containing just enough fuel for one operation-that is to say, it isarranged to heat the generator for a certain time only until the supplyof fuel is exhausted-and the refrigeratlon then goes on for aconsiderable time, after which the receptacle is again filled with fuelwhich is ignited and the operation is then repeated. After the generatorhas once been filled, which is done by forcinga solution contain- Y mgammonia into the plpe 18 through the connecting-pipe 30, provided -witha valve '32, which is then closed, and the air has been .lio

allowed to escape through the pipe 17 all that needs to be done tooperate'my device is to fillthe lamp 20 at intervals with fuel and lightit. The apparatus then works automatically. The pi e 31 leads from theshell 2 to the condenser which consists of a coil of pi e 21 submergedin water in a tank 22, whic tank is provided with a vertical airflue 23in `its center. The lower part of the large coil 21 is connected by apipe 33 with the expansion-valve 24, which is of a suitable type andwhich connects with a coil-pi e 25, which is located inside of asuitable refrigerator-chamber c. In the apparatus as shown the coilipe25 is arranged in a tank 26, filled wit a non-congealable liquid-such asbrine, for example-but the use ofsuch a tank is not strictly necessary.In either case I prefer to provide a drip-pan 27, provided with awater-sealed outlet-pipe 28.

The outlet end of the coil V25 is connected to the pipe 18, which runsinto the generator and is provided with a check-valve 29.

My apparatus is so arranged that it will liquefy in one hour sufficientammonia to .cool the refrigerator for twenty-one hours,

requiring but one operation each day. The lower part ofy thecondenser-coil 21 acts as a receiver for the liquid ammonia. The amountof cooling water in the tank 22 should be large enough so that it shouldonly be raised about 1()o Fahrenheit atone heating operation, and itwill then have twentythree hours to cool off again. As the tank 22 is ofconsiderable hei ht, the lower part of the water therein will )e of apractically uniform temperature, -as the heated water will naturallyrisc to the u per surface, where it has ample time to coo off againbefore the next operation. The cooling ofthe condensing water isassisted by the central air-flue 23 in the tank and may be furtherassisted by making the tank 22 and lalso jacket 9 of corrugated iron,thereby increasing the coolingsurface.

The perforated conical lates -19serve for retarding the ascent of t eascending gasi to cause the vapori. and

bubbles and confine to some degree the liquid heated during absorptionto the center of the apparatus. This heated liquor will naturally riseand a downward'current will be established near the outer' edge of saidshell, and as this is continually cooled by the air-currents flowingupwardly between the casin-g 6 .and the shell after the lamp 20 ceasesto burn the heat of absorption will be rapidly carried away and the backpressure reduced. v

If the liquor in the generator should start to boil over, especiallywhen nearly all of the ammonia has been driven off therefrom, the vaporand moisture have to pass up through the tube 13, where it is deflectedand passes downwardly in the separator 10, where the moisture isprecipitated and drips back over the edge of the circular trough 11 intothe shell 1. Any steam condensed in the shell 2 on account of theWater-jacket 9 Will drip backA and return-into the generator over theedge of thetrough 11.

v If deslred, I may use a deflector 35, though this is notindispensable, y gas to come .in .contact with'the cool walls of theshell 2. This deflector yconsists of al l number of disks mounted uponvarod supported onthe to'p of theshell y14. f .u f

I prefer to make rthe ex ansion-valve as an ordinary check-Valve-wit aspring on 'its top with a set-,screwto adjust the pressure, as desired.The temperature in the expansion or refrigerator coil 25 isin proportionto the back pressure. If the condensing pressure is two hundred pounds,for example, I adjust the expansion-valve to, say, one hundred andseventy pounds. Under these conditions the generator will also havetwo-hundredounds pressure during the distillation of t e ammonia, but assoon as the lamp is extinguished the generator cools off, reducing itspressure and becoming an absorber. When the pressure in the generator,acting as an. absorber, falls to thirty pounds, the expansion-valve 24balances the condenser-pressure y and any further reduction will admitlic uid ammonia into the coil 25. If this shoulld hap en to cause theback pressure to rise in t 1e absorber, the expansion-valve will closeand cut ofi the How' of the liquid ammonia, which flow will not againcommence until t-he pressure in the generator is reduced again to Ibelowthirty pounds by cooling. 'Ammonia expanding against thirty-poundspressure has a temperature of about 117Fahrenheit,` which is usuallysufficient for this kind of apparatus. Should a lower temperature berequired, the screwl in the expansion-valve is turned, reducing thetension ofthe spring.

The 'operationof my device is as follows: A solution of ammonia of abouttwenty-six per cent. is pum )ed into the generator through the valve 32.he Water-jacket 9 and condensertank 224 are filled with water. The lamp20,

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' ammonia solution, expelling the gas and drivingpit into thecondenser-coil 21, where it is liquefied by its own pressure and Aby thewater in the tank 2,2. The gas rising from the liquid in the shell 1passes through the pipe 13 of the separator 10, then changmg itsdirection passes downward and again upward, goin through the pipes 15.By this change of irection it de osits any moisture' bodily carriedalong byt e gas, which moisture drips back into the lower part of thegen- Aerator over the edge of the trough 1 1 without allowing any gas topass back. The gas passes now into the shell 2 of the generator, whereit is partly cooled by the water-jacket,

' and any steam carried alon with the gas will be there condensed andwlll dri back into the trough 11. After the fuel 1n the lamp `has burnedout cold air passes upwardl through the flues between the shells 1 and 6`and rapidly cools the generator, thereby reducing its ressure. A. gage34 is connected to the shell)1 and when this'gage indicates a 'pressureof thirty pounds the spring in the expansion-valve is gradually releasedby means of the set-screw until frost commences to formon theexpansion-valve. The valve is thereby adjusted for any furtheroperation. The temperature of the brine in the tank 26 is reduced,thereby cooling the interior of the refrigerator c Theexpanding gasenters the absorber through the lower end of the pipe 18 and is absorbedas it issues therefrom, or if it is only partly absorbed at the bottomit bubbles up and its courseis determined by the concave perforatedplates 19 and it is caused to pass toward the center of the genf eratorin its upward movement. As it -ascends it is gradually absorbed and theheat generated by the absorption is conducted off kby means of the ribs3 and 4 to the air-currents, passing around the shell 1 and between itand the shell 6. After the liquid ammonia has all evaporated, which willbe shown by the meltin of the frost on the expansionvalve 24, t eoperation canbe repeated as often as desired.

I am aware that similar machines have been constructed and patented,.butso far as I am aware they have all proved to be unsuccessful, beingeither too complicated, too

expensive, or dangerous, or requiring constant care and watchfulness, orrequiring a high degree of skill for their operation. The

boiling over and the assagev of steam into the condenser has ma e manyof them unre-` hable.

Others could not be placed convenientlyin an available space, as someparts had to be elevated. These objections are entirely absent in mymachine. In addition to the cooling yeffect produced by the ribs 3 and 4these ribs also serve to strengthen the gen-- erator, which thereforecan be made with a thin shell.

Having thus described my lnvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a refrigeration-machine, a generator formed in two compartments, aseparator separating said compartments and com osed of bells wlth pipesrunning therethroug the ends of said pipes overla ping each other, and atrough surrounding tlbe bottoms of said bells formlng a water seal,substantially as described.

2. In a refrigeration-machine, a generator provided with lon 'tudinalribs on the outside and annular r1bs on the inside, a casing surroundingthe lower part of said generator .forming flues, a water-j acketsurroundin the upper Apart of said generator, divertingfp ates arrangedbetween the annular ribs in the uper .part of said enerator, andaseparator ocated between t e'upper and lower part of said generator,substantially as described.

3. \In a refrigeration-machine, the combination of a generator vformedin two compartments, a separatorseparatingsaid compartments and composedof bells with pipes r unning therethrough, the ends of sald pipesoverlapping each other, a trough surrounding .the bottoms of said bellsforming a water seal, a refrigerator, and means for cooling andliquefying the ammonia, substantially as described.

4. In a refrigeration-machine, the combination of a generator providedwith longitudinal ribs on the outside and annular ribs on the inside, acasing surrounding the lower part of said generator forming flues, awater- ]acket surrounding the upper part of sald generator,diverting-plates arranged between the annular ribs in the upper part ofsaid generator, a separator located between the uper and lower part ofsaid generator, a reiiig'erator, and means for cooling and liquefyingthe ammonia, substantially as' del in presence of two witnesses.

BURCHARD THOENS.

Witnesses:

JNO. J. WARD, C. M. HERO.

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